Folding jaw assembly for rotary sheet folders



Oct. 24, 1950 J. E. MEYER FOLDING JAW ASSEMBLY FOR ROTARY SHEET FOLDERS Filed Feb. 7, 1947 s sheets-sheet 1 IN V EN TOR.

Oct. 24, 1950 J. ,E. MEYER 2,527,194

FOLDING JAW ASSEMBLY FOR ROTARY SHEET FOLDERS Filed Feb. 7,-194v s Sheets-Sheet 2 4 TOR.

3 Sheets-Sheet 3 J. E. MEYER FOLDING JAW ASSEMBLY FOR ROTARY SHEET FOLDERS Oct. 24, 1950 Filed Feb. '7, 1947 same;

Patented Oct. 24, 1950 -UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FOLDING JAW ASSEIWBLY FOR .ROTAR SHEET FOLDERS v Joseph'E. Meyer, Westerly, R. I., assignor to C. B.

Cottrell & Sons Company, Westerly, R. I., a corporation of Delaware Application February 7, 1947, Serial No. 727.2012

9 Claims. (o1. 270 71) Y My invention is directedto a novel, simple and effective lfolding jaw assembly 'for rotary sheet .folders, in which one of the folding jaws is fixed .tothe folding cylinder and the other coacting folding jaw is journaled in the cylinder to rock tor-and from itssheet grippingposition.

One object of my invention is to provide the irocking folding jaw with a plurality of alined :zgripping blades arranged in groups, if so desired,

each gripping blade being composed of a single ing the necessity of separate fastening devices for "ea'ch gripping blade and also eliminating the necessity of perforating the blades topermit the individual fastening devices to pass therethrough.

Another. object is to provide a rocking folding jaw of very light construction by providing a thin reinforced intermediate portion and short stud shafts projecting from'the ends of said intermediate portion to journal the rocking jaw in the cylinder.

' Another object is" to provide means whereby the gripping blades may be accurately positioned both laterally and endwise on the rocking folding aw.

.Another object is to provide means for initially tensioning the gripping blades whereby the folding jaw assembly will successfully handle thin or thick products and .whereby side-by-side products of different thicknesses may also be handled without requiring additional adjustment for tension of the said gripping blades.

A practical embodiment of my invention is represented in the accompanying drawings, in

v which Fig. 1 represents a detail side elevation of a of the folding jaw assemblies in its normal position;

Fig. 2 represents a longitudinal section taken in the plane of the line 11-11 of Fig. 1;

the folding jaw. assembly for gripping a single sheet;

Fig. 7 represents a similar section of the folding jaw assembly for. gripping. a plurality ofsheets;

Fig. 8 represents a detail. plan, view, on an enlarge'd scale, of the rocking'folding jaw;

" Fig. 9' represents a detailfront view offlthe Fig. 10 represents an end view of the rocking folding jaw; and i Fig. 11 represents a vertical cross section in the plane of the line XI-Xl ofFig. 9.

The folding jaw cylinder 5 has its shaft! rotatably mounted in suitable side framest. This cylindermaybe provided with the usual longi- "tudinal recess dopening through the periphery of the cylinder.

The fixed folding jaw 5 which extends substantially the length of the cylinder I may be secured as by screws fiinposition to partially close the mouth of the recess 13. The gripping face of the fixed jaw 5 is shown as radially disposed with respect to the cylinder shaft 2.

A filling piece I extends along the mouth of the recess lopposite the fixed jaw 5 and may be secured by screws 8 to the cylinder i The rocking-folding jaw which coacts with the fixed, folding jaw "5 to foldthe sheets comprises a thin wide reinforced intermediate por- "tion"9"from"which project short end stud shafts I0 and H journaled in suitable anti-friction bearings 12" and 13; at the ends of the cylinder I. This elongated wide-portion 9 of the rocking folding jaw is provided with a fiat portion I l for removably seating the inner ends of alined re- I folding cylinder showing the outside view of one blades,thereby permitting the blades to be made silient gripping blades [5 of sheet material preferably arranged in spaced groups of three blades each. This flat-portion l4 terminates in an uprising flange !5-against whichthe inner ends of the'gripping blades l5 abut, to endwise position the'said blades. The outer ends of these blades have gripping faces for coaction with the gripping face of the fixed jaw 5. An uprising flange I! extends'along' the outer edge of the elongated portion E! of the rocking jaw in position to bear againstfthe outeren'ds of the gripping blades 15 to initially tension the blades when the blades are clampedto the said elongated portion 9.

. Narrow "and widefspacing lugs I8 and iii' pro- .ject from theflange ll, the narrow lugs serving to space the blades o f'each group apart and the wide lugs. l8* serving to space the groups of blades apart along the jaw. These lugs i8 and 18* serve to laterally space the gripping blades and coact with .the flange I? to accurately position the blades both endwiseand laterally.

The common means for clamping the spaced gripping blades to the rocking jaw includes a retaining plate is extending along the elongated .portion 9 of the jaw over the inner ends of the gripping blades, screws 28 being provided for connecting the plate I9 and elongated portion 9. These screws 20; pass between the groups of imperforate and much stronger than when the bladesarerperforated, as is usual heretofore in the art, .to receive fastening screws therethrough. 'This imperforate construction of the gripping 3, blades also permits either end of the blade to be clamped to the rocking folding jaw.

When the screws are tightened to clamp the gripping blades to the rocking folding jaw the outer ends of these blades will be slightly deflected and thereby placed under initial tension by the pressure of the blades I against the flange II.

The means for operatin the rocking folding jaw comprises the following elements. Rock arms 2| and 22 are secured to the ends of the stud shafts I0 and l, which rock arms are yieldingly held at the limit of their closing movement by the usual spring devices 23 and 24. One of these arms, in the present instance the arm 22, is provided with a cam roller 25 arranged to be opened at the proper time by the, usual fixed cam 26 (shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3) projecting inwardly from its adjacent side frame 3. Projections 21 and 28 on the arms 2| and 22 engage the stops 29 and 30 on the blocks 3| and 32 carried by the cylinder for limiting the closing movement of the rocking folding jaw.

From the above description it will be seen that when the screws 20 are tightened to cause the retaining plate |9 to clamp the inner ends of the gripping blades Hi to the elongated wide portion 9 of the rocking folding jaw the outer ends of these blades will be slightly deflected and thereby placed under the required initial tension by the action of the flange II to properly grip products of different thicknesses without further adjustment of the gripping blades.

It will also be seen that the tension of the gripping blade does not have to be individually adjusted when handling side-by-side products of different thicknesses as the tension of the gripping blades will be automatically increased as the thickness of the product increases.

It will also be seen that by the construction herein set forth the rocking folding jaw may be made extremely light and strong and at the same time provide a wide bearing for the row of alined resilient gripping blades. Also, by this novel construction each gripping blade may be made of a single piece of sheet material thereby eliminating the necessity of providing a laminated structure.

It is evident that various changes may be resorted to in the construction, form and arrangement of the several parts without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention, and hence I do not intend to be limited to the particular embodiment herein shown and described, but what I claim is:

1. In a rotary sheet folder, a cylinder and a folding jaw assembly carried thereby comprising a fixed jaw, a coacting rocking jaw having a thin wide reinforced elongated intermediate portion and stud shafts projecting from its ends and.

silient gripping blades and a common means for removably clamping all of the blades to the said intermediate portion of the rocking jaw.

2. In a rotary sheet folder, a cylinder and a folding jaw assembly carried thereby comprising a fixed jaw, a coacting rocking jaw having a thin wide reinforced elongated intermediate portion ournaled in the cylinder, alined imperforate re-' wide reinforced elongated intermediate portion, stud shafts projecting therefrom and alined resilient gripping blades removably clamped thereto, said intermediate portion bein provided along its inner edge with means for positioning the blades endwise and along its outer edge with means for spacing the blades laterally, said wide elongated portion also being provided with means for placing the outer ends of the resilient blades under initial tension.

4. In a rotary sheet folder, a cylinder and a folding jaw assembly carried thereby comprising a fixed jaw, a coacting rocking jaw, and alined imperforate resilient gripping blades removably clamped to the rocking jaw, said rocking jaw having a wide elongated portion provided along its inner edge with an uprising flange for positioning the blades endwise and with an uprising flange along its outer edge for placing the outer ends of the resilient blades under initial tension, said last named flange having uprising lugs for spacing the blades laterally.

5. In a rotary sheet folder, a cylinder and a folding jaw assembly carried thereby comprising a fixed jaw, a coacting rocking jaw having a wide elongated portion, and alined groups of imperforate resilient gripping blades removably clamped thereto, said wide elongated portion being provided along its inner edge with an uprisin flange for positioning the blades endwise, and with an uprising flange along its outer edge for normally placing the outer ends of the resilient blades under initial tension, said last named flange having uprising lugs for spacing the blades laterally.

6. In a rotary sheet folder, a cylinder and a folding jaw assembly carried thereby comprising a fixed jaw, a coacting rocking jaw, spaced alined imperforate resilient gripping blades, and means for removably clamping the blades to the rocking jaw including a retaining plate extending along the rocking jaw over the inner ends of all of the blades, and fastening devices connecting the retaining plate to the rocking jaw through the spaces between predetermined blades.

7. In a rotary sheet folder, a cylinder and a folding jaw assembly carried thereby comprising a fixed jaw, a coacting rocking jaw, spaced alined groups of imperforate gripping blades, each blade consistin of a single thickness of thin resilient sheet material, and means for removably clamping the blades to the rocking jaw including a retaining plate extending along the rocking jaw over the inner ends of all of the blades, and fastening devices connecting the retaining plate to the rocking jaw through the spaces between predetermined groups of blades.

8. In a rotary sheet folder, a cylinder and a folding jaw assembly carried thereby comprising a fixed jaw, a coacting rocking jaw having a wide elongated portion provided with end stud shafts journaled in the cylinder, spaced alined imperforate gripping blades, each blade being composed of a single thickness of thin resilient sheet material, and means for removably clamping the blades to the said wide elongated portion including a retainin plate extending along the said wide elongated portion over the inner ends of all of the blades, and screws connecting the retaining plate to the said wide elongated portion through the spaces between predetermined blades.

9. In a rotary sheet folder, a cylinder and a folding jaw assembly carried thereby comprising a fixed jaw, a coacting jaw comprising end stud shafts and a thin wide reinforced intermediate portion having uprising flanges along its inner 2,527,194 5 and outer edges, a.v flat portion along the inner REFERENCES CITED flange and narrow 3 wide lugs uprising from The following references are of record in tho the outer flanges, almed groups of imperforate file of this patent; gripping blades seated at their inner ends on said fiat portion and spaced individually by said nar- UNITED STATES PATENTS row lugs and as groups by said wide lugs, each Number Name Date blade being composed of a single thickness of 1,895,124 Crafts et a1 Jan. 24, 1933 thin resilient sheet material and a common 2.262,180 Hauer Nov. 11, 1941 means for removab1y clamping th gr pp n 2,378.523 Worthington June 19, 1945 lgalieosnto the intermediate portion under imtial 10 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date JOSEPH E. MEYER. 276,812 Germany July 20, 1914 Certificate of Correction Patent No. 2,527 ,194 October 24, 1950 JOSEPH E. MEYER It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows:

Column 3, line 7 2, before the Word jaw insert rocking;

and that the said Letters Patent should be read as corrected above, so that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 26th day of December, A. D. 1950.

THOMAS F. MURPHY,

Assistant Gammz'ssioner of Patents. 

